I reach between us, fumbling for his zipper. Gripping the small piece of metal, I tug it down, his cock bursting free. It’s freaking huge. When my fingers trace the beginnings of his knot, they freeze.
Jax holds still, as if waiting to see what I’ll do. Then he speaks, voice low. “It’s okay, Tempest. We don’t have t—”
A hiss cuts off his words when my fingers wrap around his base.
“Show me what it means to be your mate.”
He growls, spurred by my words. In three strides, my back is pinned to the wall. His cock presses against me, drawing soft whimpers from my lips with each pierced graze of my clit.
“That’s it, Tempest. Rub that perfect pussy against me. Take your pleasure.”
I slam my hand against the wall, using it as leverage to ride along his cock. The angle is delicious, and my toes curl with each scrape of his frost markings on my skin. Desperate for more.
More friction. More pleasure. Morehim.
The pressure below my belly craves things I don’t even know if I can express. My hips are frantic, bucking so wildly that I half expect to climb up Jax’s tall frame.
The ecstasy is intense, almost too intense. He holds me through it, rocking with me, body following my rhythm and coaxing me on.
I’m losing control. Losing it to the swirl of that tiny silver snowball against my clit, the chill of his satin shaft between my lips, the delicately rough texture of his frost marks stroking my skin. The knot building at his base rubs up and down, spreading me further.
I moan, and my body spasms as it takes and takes its fill, the sound so guttural, so primal with need, that it nearly startles me.
Nearly.
Because then Jax plunges over the edge, and I’m certain there’s nothing more beautiful. Hair mussed, lips parted, a low, rumbling growl erupts from him. He comes in hypnotic waves, coating my clit, dripping along the tips of my thighs. Thick and wet and deliciously messy.
Sharp canines graze my pulse, wet sounds building between us as he groans against my throat. I’m teetering on some dangerous line. One that I desperately want to cross. I lengthen my neck, savoring his frosty breaths.
“Tempest,” he repeats, over and over, like a gentle prayer spoken on the breeze. His lips press to my pulse, peppering in a few playful nips. He rocks his hips, each glide is slow and intentional, as if he’s trying to rub his essence deep into my skin. Then he runs his nose up the length of my neck and cradles my jaw, kissing me as he carries me over to the fur rug in front of the fire, laying me down with a restrained reverence that’s almost painful.
His canines graze my throat and ignite something in me. Now that the haze of the mind-blowing orgasm is wearing off, I can’t help but wonder why. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“When I…um…showed you my neck, I had this overwhelming urge for you to…” I trail off, not even knowing what to say, so I fumble for the closest comparison I can think of. “Is this mate thing like vampires?”
Jax barks out a laugh. My body flushes with embarrassment, and he quickly clears his throat, regaining his composure.
I frown. “Glad someone finds this funny.”
He nudges my chin with his nose, so I lean my head away, exposing my throat to him.
“Vampires, from what I understand, like to drink each other’s blood.” As he speaks, he drags a finger up and down my neck, sending a shiver low in my belly. His chest rumbles against my back, and he moves a hand to splay over my hip. “Harbingers have the desire to claim their mates. To leave a mark and solidify the bond between us. It heightens the connection.”
Jax reaches between my legs, smoothing his thumb across our release, rubbing it in until it’s fully absorbed into my flesh.“One day, when you’re ready to claim each other, just say the word and I’ll happily sink my teeth into that sexy throat of yours.”
He playfully nips me.
“Claim each other?” I crane my neck to look at him, understanding dawning on me. “As in, bite you back? Does it have to be your throat?”
He arches a brow. “Did you have somewhere else in mind?”
“I don’t know,” I backtrack. “I’m just trying to understand.”
“A mate’s bite is a full acceptance of the bond between them.” I shiver against his cool touch. Savoring it and the scent of mint chocolate chip permeating from us. “We don’t have to, Tempest. Not ever. Not if you don’t want—”
“It’s not that.” I clamp my mouth shut, trying to find the words. “But my teeth aren’t sharp. Won’t that hurt you?”
